Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said Wednesday that he would seriously consider running for governor as an independent if his allies collect enough signatures to get certified as a new Hawaii Independent Party.
Organizers have until Thursday afternoon to collect the necessary 706 signatures from registered voters for a petition to the state Office of Elections. If successful, Hannemann could run for governor under the Hawaii Independent Party banner in the August primary and November general election.
"From what I’m hearing, and what I’m seeing, there seems to be a viable opportunity for a third party that will reflect what most people are, which are independent, moderate, centrists like myself," he said. "And I think it’s not just me, it’s about a movement that I think reflects what most people feel."
Hannemann would be following a course set by the late Frank Fasi, a charismatic former Honolulu mayor who ran unsuccessfully for governor as an independent Democrat and the leader of the Best Party after losing twice in Democratic primaries.
In 1994, Fasi finished second in a three-way race for governor that Ben Cayetano, a Democrat, won with just 36 percent of the vote. Patricia Saiki, a Republican, finished third.
A Hawaii Poll released this week by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now found that 39 percent of voters would consider voting for Hannemann as an independent.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie is facing state Sen. David Ige in the Democratic primary. Former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona is planning a Republican campaign.
Hannemann’s challenge has been Democratic primaries. He lost to Abercrombie in the primary for governor in 2010 and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in the primary for Congress in 2012. Hannemann had considered running for governor this year as a Republican.
"Most people consider themselves independents," Hannemann said. "They don’t always necessarily vote straight-ticket Democrat, straight-ticket Republican. They go for the person, rather than the party."
Neal Milner, a University of Hawaii at Manoa professor emeritus of political science, said he doubts Hannemann could be much more than a spoiler. "I just don’t think that he’s popular enough to hold that many votes," he said.
